


reckless

by elwinds



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Background Ryoma/Orochi, Eventual Romance, F/M, Past Corrin/Silas - Freeform, Professor!Xander, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:34:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29264358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elwinds/pseuds/elwinds
Summary: Corrin has spent her entire life striving for perfection...eager to follow in her eldest brother's footsteps. But there's something about her Traditional Hoshidan Literature professor...something that almost makes her want to be reckless for a while.
Relationships: Marx | Xander/My Unit | Kamui | Corrin, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	reckless

**Author's Note:**

> so i've been writing this fluffy little a/u purely as a light-hearted break from some of the more serious stuff i typically write, and while i initially didn't plan on posting it i figured if i'm going to be writing it anyway i might as well share incase anyone -- by some chance -- needs to scratch a fates college a/u itch :) this is definitely different from the stuff i usually write, but i've been having fun working on it, so i hope any of you who stop by can have some fun reading it too!

The walls of Corrin and Azura’s small, off-campus apartment were covered in canvases painted with brilliant strokes of color for as far as the eye could see. Corrin knew she couldn’t take credit for that particular decorative choice, however. Some were created by Azura’s own thoughtful hands, taking the time to match each color with the intended mood of any given room. Blues and purples and greens in the living room for relaxation…yellows in the kitchen to stimulate an appetite. The others were a product of her secondary passion for scouring local art shows and flea markets for “under-appreciated gems” as she called them. 

Corrin never objected to it. Her roommate had impeccable taste when it came to that sort of thing, and she always managed to pick out just the right piece for where she envisioned it. Being a third year art student, she was well aware the intricacies behind style and symbolism and all of the artistic buzzwords that Corrin could never quite wrap her head around when her friend would gush over her favorite pieces.

Growing up, she hadn’t had much of an opportunity to appreciate the arts the way that Azura did. Between Ryoma working multiple jobs to put himself through school and keep food on the table for his siblings, and weekends generally being booked up with extracurriculars, there was nary a chance to visit a museum or even create anything herself as a child. Instead, she grew attached to books— mostly of the historical and political variety. They were the books that she would grab from Ryoma’s bookshelf to entertain herself during Takumi’s archery practice, and they had become so ingrained in her that she found she had actually grown quite fond of the content. Takumi — of course — would always gripe that she was just trying to play “the perfect sibling” in Ryoma’s eyes by taking an interest in his own field of study, but it truly had become her passion.

But years had passed since her days of flipping through Ryoma’s textbooks, asking him to decipher complex words for her and explain extended political theories. Now, at twenty-one, she was comfortably settled in for her own studies at the University of Hoshido (thanks in no small part to his job as an esteemed graduate professor in their Political Science department) and working towards her goal of following in her eldest brother’s footsteps. 

The younger Takumi — on the other hand — lay stretched out across the couch in her and Azura’s living room in the early evening before his first day of college classes, staring at the same art covered walls as his sister. Azura and Corrin sat on the floor across from him …Azura’s delicate fingers pulling her roommate’s hair into absentminded twists and braids as she hummed to herself.

“You’re going to have to go back to your dorm eventually,” Corrin finally said to their squatter. Takumi only groaned in response. “If Ryoma knew you’ve been sleeping on our couch all weekend he’d have a fit. You’re supposed to be getting to know your roommate.”

“I already told you, my roommate's a nightmare,” he lamented. “He never shuts up about his cursed blood, or being consumed by darkness, or whatever the hell he’s always rambling about.” 

“So he’s a little eccentric-” 

“He’s a _freak_ , Corrin. The other day I woke up to him trying to telepathically organize his desk.” 

In truth, Corrin had no response for that. 

“You still have to sleep there tonight,” was all she said.

He finally sat up with a resigned grunt, a piece of hair coming loose from where he had sloppily tied it up earlier and falling against his cheek. 

“Some sister you are,” he grumbled. Corrin could help but roll her eyes at the theatrics. “I’m gonna remember this next time you need something.” 

Had Ryoma not insisted that he expand his horizons by living with a roommate like most college freshmen, Corrin knew she would have been content to let him stay with her and Azura for as long as he wanted. She was one of the only ones who knew about his nightmares, and — if she had to venture a guess — she figured that played a pretty major role in his reluctance to sleep in his dorm room even despite any qualms with his roommate. It had clearly embarrassed him enough when his own sister would have to come into his room in the dead of night to rub his back to quell his breathing after a particularly vivid dream. She knew that the idea of it happening in front of a perfect stranger had to have been making things infinitely worse…and sisterly instinct nagged at her to just let him stay with her. To protect him from all of those anxieties. 

But Ryoma was in charge, and — after all he’d done for all three of them — going against his wishes seemed ungrateful at best. 

Takumi peeled himself off of the couch after a long few moments of stalling, clearly waiting for her to engage in some sort of back and forth, and finally began to repack the duffle bag he had brought along with him when deciding to spend the night that Friday. 

Gods, she thought. He looked so dejected. It had guilt gnawing at the back of her subconsciousness. 

“You don’t have to leave right now. We haven’t even had dinner yet,” she tried. He ignored the statement as he zipped the bag shut. “Hey…how about we call Ryoma and ask if he and Orochi and Sakura want to meet us somewhere? Hinoka went back to Nohr today, so I’m sure they’re all just sitting around missing her anyway.”

“I hear the place that just opened up off campus has _amazing_ ramen,” Azura suggested.

Takumi looked as if he was going to consider rejecting the offer…his eyes narrowing in thought at the mention of the rest of their family. But he eventually settled with a resigned sigh. Whether that was because he wanted to spend time with his family or because he was never one to reject a particularly good bowl of ramen was lost on Corrin, however. 

“Fine,” he said. “But _only_ if you tell Ryoma not to pester me about tomorrow’s classes.”

Corrin laughed lightly, though she was sure she could make no promises in that regard. 

“I’ll try to work my magic.” 

* * *

For as much as Corrin typically enjoyed spending time with her siblings, something about this particular dinner felt…different. Azura was the only one at the table who seemed immune, her head ducked as she dug into her ramen with a particularly pleased glimmer in her eyes. The perks of simply being the roommate and not having to be involved in familial tension, Corrin figured. 

Perhaps it was due to Takumi being so on edge. He had hardly said a word unless directly addressed, and he seemed to be pushing his noodles around in the bowl more so than actually eating them. Sakura and Ryoma mostly made small talk with one another once they realized that the younger of the two boys was not particularly interested in conversation.

And then there was Orochi…who was studying Corrin with a worried gaze.

Of course this wasn’t the first time that Orochi had acted a bit…odd. In fact, oddities were quite the norm for her.But something about _this_ look made a paranoid spark run through Corrin’s spine. She had tried to distract herself through making conversation with Azura only to fall into second place to the bowl of ramen in front of her…so she was stuck…quietly trying to draw Ryoma’s attention to her eyes to silently communicate the question of _why is your fiancée staring at me like I just confessed to murder_? _And why haven’t you noticed yet?_

“Are you feeling alright, Corrin?” Was all he asked when he finally looked at her. She blinked in surprise at the sudden acknowledgement. “You’ve barely touched your food.” 

It wasn’t until he pointed it out that she realized he was right. At least Takumi was making enough of a show of pushing and stirring the contents of his bowl as for it to not be as obvious. 

“Oh…yeah. I guess I haven’t,” she responded, giving the dark broth a swirl when her attention was brought back to the bowl. 

“If something’s bothering you…”

He left the statement open-ended, and part of her wanted to scream _yes…your fiancée’s unnerving stare…and I’m worried about Takumi…and maybe I’m already just stressed about how packed my schedule is this semester_ , but she said none of it. Instead, she opted to simply shake her head with a soft smile. 

“No. Nothing in particular,” she said. Her eyes flickered towards Azura, who popped another spoonful of broth into her mouth, seemingly to avoid having to engage in the sudden tension at the table. “Did any of you happen to see where the bathroom is in here?” 

Orochi practically sprung out of her chair at the question. 

“I did. I’ll go with you,” she volunteered. 

Corrin mentally groaned. The idea had been to get _away_ from Orochi’s scrutinizing gaze if only for a moment, but she knew she couldn’t exactly object without raising suspicion. So instead, she let her brother’s fiancée’s delicate hand wrap around her wrist as she led her through the dimly lit maze of a restaurant, the bracelets that she wore around her wrists chiming with each shift between tables. 

When they pushed through the heavy wooden doors leading into the restroom, Orochi wasted no time before turning to face her younger counterpart. 

“Okay. I know you don’t actually have to use the bathroom,” she stated, rather than asked. Corrin’s lips parted to defend herself, but a laugh from Orochi stopped her before she could. “Oh, Corrin…you should know by now that Orochi knows _all_ ,” she teased. 

_She really is good_ , Corrin mentally lamented. It had been over two years since Ryoma had first introduced the quirky, lavender-haired co-worker who had unsuspectingly captured his heart to the rest of the family, and yet her ability to read a situation still always felt uncanny. 

The newest addition to their little family unit’s lips shifted into a frown. “You were trying to get away from me just now.” 

_Gods, how does she do that?_

“Of course not.” The lie was spoken with such ease that she almost felt guilty…especially when that frown on Orochi’s lips had no signs of being replaced by anything more cheerful. “I think the stress of school starting back up might just be starting to get to me. Nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”

Orochi worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “Well then maybe I shouldn’t say anything.”

“I’m sorry?”

“About your horoscope, of course.” 

Of course, Corrin thought. Of course this was about her fortune. Though she still wasn’t one hundred percent sure where she stood in her belief in regards to Orochi’s divination, a part of her could never help her curiosity. 

“No…you can tell me,” she assured her. 

Orochi furrowed a contemplative brow and sucked in a deep breath before proceeding. 

“I’ve been a little worried about the last few readings I’ve done for you,” she explained with that same worried crease in her brow that she had been staring at her with at the table. “They’ve been showing a great deal of upcoming turmoil.” 

Despite her skepticism — and despite the fact that Orochi’s fortunes had definitely been wrong before — Corrin could feel her mouth go just slightly dry.“O-Oh. Okay.” 

“I didn’t want to scare you, but I thought you might want to know.” 

In all honesty, she wasn’t quite sure what to say. Though she was the one who’d asked to hear it, she almost wished she could take it back. Now she was sure each minor inconvenience that would inevitably come up would set off a deluge of paranoia…and it wasn’t as if she could prepare for something she didn’t know was coming. 

Before she could verbally react, however, Orochi had pulled her into a tight, sisterly hug that nearly knocked the remaining breath from her lungs. “Whatever it is, you know I’ll help to guide you through it as best as I can,” she assured her. 

Gods…why did this suddenly feel like a funeral? Corrin chased the thoughts away as best she could and plastered on a friendly smile to replace her concerned frown, focusing on the strong scent of Orochi’s floral perfume rather than the uneasy knot that had settled into her stomach. 

* * *

The click from the heavy doors leading into Corrin’s second lecture hall of the semester was nearly silenced by the shuffling of shoes through open hall and the chattering of people who had already met up with friends inside. Her eyes scanned the array of sporadically filled seats to search for a familiar face, and she smiled once she could see Azura’s delicate hand lift into the air to wave and beckon her over. 

When she approached, she realized that she was the last of their small group to arrive, with Silas and Kaden having already taken the two seats next to Azura and Silas’s book bag saving the seat next to him. He hoisted it off of the seat when he saw her approach, and when a thick, paperback book, cover decorated in wisps of red watercolor, tumbled from the open zipper, she couldn’t help but laugh. 

“You _would_ already have first the book, you nerd,” she teased. 

He snatched it up from where it had threatened to slide beneath his seat and stuffed it back into his bag. “The professor said we’re starting it right away. You might have known that if you actually checked your email. Slacker.” 

Between Takumi’s issues and spending the weekend at her apartment and the “troubling” news she’d gotten from Orochi the night prior, checking her student email had — admittedly — been the last thing on her mind. She was sure she’d be able to get her hands on a copy before they delved too deeply into it anyway. 

“That’s alright. Luckily _you’re_ here, so I’ll just read yours over your shoulder,” she concluded with a playful grin. 

“Ha. Like I’d let you use me for your own academic gain.” 

They shared a small laugh, but before she could turn to acknowledge the other two friends who sat to their left, the lecture hall doors opened with another loud click. 

“Good afternoon. My apologies for keeping you all waiting.”

Despite the voice not being so loud that it was overbearing, there was an almost silent authority behind it that had the rest of the lecture hall quieting to a murmur and turning their attention towards the source.A tall, broad man who couldn’t have been much older than she and her friends were strode down the stairs of the lecture hall, setting his things down on the desk near the back of the room before returning to the lectern with a stack of papers. 

But what he was doing was of little concern to Corrin’s currently simple mind. In that moment, she only had one thought blaring through every corner of her consciousness. 

_Dear Gods, why is this man a professor of all things?_

He looked more like one of the fairytale princes from the books that Sakura kept hidden under her bed (because she had _definitely_ grown out of them) than an educator of any sorts. He was — in a word — stunning. The kind of stunning that made her blink the fluorescent light away from her eyes to ensure he wasn’t being obstructed by some sort of glare that was making her mind play tricks on her. The kind of stunning that deflated her lungs and made her throat go dry at the idea of actually having to submit her papers for him to read…probably by candlelight in a white, half-buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his angled nose, she’d imagine. 

_Stop it, Corrin. Don’t be a creep,_ she chastised at the conjuring of the mental image. 

“You’re all here for Traditional Hoshidan Literature I presume?” He posed it as a question, though he didn’t seem to expect a response as he began to silently count out papers and hand them to each person at the end of their row. In that moment, Corrin couldn’t help but envy Kaden for his aisle seat. “Unless calling a professor by their first name makes you deeply uncomfortable, you can call me Xander. I’m looking forward to working with you all this semester.” 

When he got to the end of their aisle, she looked away…down to the now empty lectern at the front of the room…as if looking at him when he was so close was akin to looking directly into the sun. It wasn’t until she felt Silas nudge her with his elbow that she returned to reality. 

“Didn’t expect _this_ guy to be a ‘call me by my first name’ type of professor,” he mused as he passed her a copy of the syllabus. The paper was still warm, probably having just come out of the printer, and she rested her palm on it as she passed the rest of the pile to her right. “He looks pretty stern.”

If he _did_ look stern, she hadn’t noticed. Then again, she hadn’t noticed much outside of the way his soft, blonde curls framed every angle of his face as he flipped through copies of his syllabus. 

“Yeah,” she mindlessly agreed. 

Stern.

Sure.

_That_ was the initial trait she’d noticed about him.


End file.
